RESERVE – South Central Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus located in Reserve was recently awarded a $25,000 grant through the Entergy Charitable Foundation. The Entergy Charitable Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to supporting charitable organizations in the diverse communities where Entergy customers and employees live and work. The Foundation’s goal is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. These dollars will enhance the Air-Conditioning/Refrigeration Program on the school’s campus.

With the advent of “green technology” and advancements in air conditioning /refrigeration, the program is poised to introduce, teach and facilitate this technology at the campus.

They will require the newest advances in equipment and teaching aids to keep ahead of workforce demand for qualified technicians in the field.

As of January 2010, new mandates from the EPA require that 410 A refrigerants replace the older R-22 equipment presently in use. This transition can only be accomplished by retraining and certifying our present and future workforce who handle these refrigerants. The school plans to build a working model of a home supplied with a natural gas generator as a backup system for an electrical load center in household setting and new R-410 A air conditioning system mandated by the EPA which would include new solar powered technology.

Thanks to this grant from Entergy, the possibility for this technology to be installed by students may be a first of its kind at a teaching facility. SCLTC-River Parishes Campus’ Cindy Poskey, campus administrator, along with Mr. Terry Carmouche, HVAC instructor, are very enthusiastic about this project.